Feed-control mechanism for machine-tools.



APPLICATION FILED MAR.6,1912

Patented Feb. 4, 1913.

fl l. I

W RUNGB. FEED CONTROL MEOHANISM FOR MACHINE TOOLS. APPLICATION FILED MAR.6.1912.

1,052,279. Patented Feb. 4, 1913.

SSHEETSSHEET 2.

W. RUNGB.

FEED CONTROL MBNHANLSM POR MACHINE TOOLS.

APPLIITAIION FILED MAR. 6, R912.

Patented Feb. 4. 1913.

'UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

WILLIAM RUNGE, OF SENECA FALLS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE SENECA FALLS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, 0F SENECA FALLS, NEW YORK.

FEED-CONTROLv MECHANISM FOR MACHINE-TOOLS.

Application led'March 6.

To all u1/10m it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM RUNGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Seneca Falls,y in the county of Seneca and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Feed-Control l\lechanisms` for lVaChine-Tools', of which `the followingr is a specification.

This invention relates more particularly to improvements in the mechanism employed in lathes for controlling the movements of the feed screw shaft. which moves the tool carriage on the lathe bed. i

The object of thi-s invention is to produce 'a positive and accurate controlling mechanism for this purpose which can be easily operated for moving the tool carriage in either direction and for stopping it at any desired point, and which, when-operated, produces an immediate or practically instantaneous movement of the driving device for the feed screw to advance, stop or reverse the movenient of the tool carriage.

In the accompanying drawings, consisting of three sheets: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a lathe embodying the invention, portions thereof being cut awayto sho-w the controlling mechanism for the feed screw. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary transverse sectional eleration thereof in line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation thereof Online {5e-3, Fig. 2. I Fig. 4 is a transverse section on line 4-4, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary top plan view, partly in section, of the cont-rolling mechanism and the operating means therefor. Fig. 6 is a cross-section thereof, on an enlarged scale, in line 6-6, Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a fragmentary side elevation of the controlling mechanism and the clutch for driving the feed screw.

Like reference characters refer to like Spec-cation of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 4, 1913.

1912. serial No. 662,023.

kwhich is slidable endwise of this shaft, but

is keyed thereto to turn therewith. The

clutch spool c, on its opposite end faces, has

teeth c' which are adapted to engage with teeth 02 on the adjacent inner faces of the feed and reverse gearswhen the clutch is shifted into engagement with either of these gears for locking the gear and shaft together. All of these parts are common in lathes and may be of any suitable construction and arrangement.

The present invention relates to the mechanism which is employed forshifting the clutch into and outof engagement with the fee'd and reverse gears, and` for this purpose a clutch shifting rod D isemployed which is suitably connected with the clutch spool e as by the forked arm d secured to one end of the rodgD and entering a groove in the s Ool c. The clutch shifting rod D is slida ly mounted in suitable bearings e e on a support or frame E so that it is free to move in an endwise direction thereon, and the support E in turn is secured in place on the bed of the lathe by any suitable means, such as the cross rods e2 e2 which extendthrough holes in opposite ends of this support and have their ends secured in the side walls of the lathe bed A.

For moving the clutch shifting rod D endwise in either direction for shifting the clutch into and out of enga ement with the feed and reverse gears C an C', the following construction is employed: The frame E is preferably provided with spaced side Walls ea es between which is suitably pivoted at f a bell crank lever F. One arm. f of this `lever is suitabl connected with operating means for the ever which will be hereinafter more fully described, and the other or free arm f2 extends upwardly between the side walls e3 e3 and has a forked end which is adapted to straddle the central portion of the clutch shifting rod D. The operating lever F, however, may be arranged upon and pivotally secured to thesupport E in any other suitable manner.

On the rod D, at opposite sides vof the forked ends of the lever arm f2, are slidably mounted hammers G G which are movable Between endwise of this rod, and between the outer f portions It' which are. adapted to engage the ends of these hammers and the supporting bearings e eare arranged coiled sprmgs Il Ilfthe outer ends of the hammers being preferably enlarged and provided with con! fining sockets L- for theends of these springs. 'I` he supporting bearings e e are preferably screwed into threadedv portions of the support E'so that they can'be adjusted thereon toward and from the hamlners for regulating the tension of these springs.

The clutch shifting rod D is provided with Vfixed stops or collars I I at the outerends 'of one of the hammers G G and drives this hammer along the rod D in opposition to its spring until it strikes the stop collar on that end of the rod toward which it is being driven.

The blow of the hammer on the stop collar causes the clutch shifting rod to move end wise in its bearings a'sufiicient'distance to shift the clutch spool into engagementlwith =either the feed gear or the reverse gear, depending upon the direction of movement of Y'the rod. IIn the construction shown, the upward movement ofv the arm f' of thebellcrank lever F operates through the lever arm f2, the'hammer G and the collar I i move the'rod D for shifting the clutch spool into engagement with the feed gear C. as shown in Figs. 3 and 7, while the opposite movement of the bell-crank lever from its neutral position operates through the hammer G and the 'collar I to move the rod D Vin the 'opposite direction for shifting the clutch into engagement with the reverse gear C.

" W'hen either hammer is moved to throw the clutch into engagement with one of the gears, the springfor that hammer ils compressed and would force the hammer back to its normal position, and thus leave the rod D free to fmove in a direction to disengage theclutch from the gear which it engages; In order to hold the clutch shifting rod in its shifted position and prevent the return movement of the hammer under the action of its spring7 suitable means are .employed which, in the construction shown, consists of triggers K K', one foreach hammer. These triggers are suitably pivoted between the side walls e? es of the support E at opposite sides of the lever arm fzand extend in opposite directions between the forked ends ofthe lever arm.

inner ends of the halnmers when t-he latter are moved to shift the clut-ch into engagement with its gears. Spring detents L mounted in suitable sockets Z in the lever arm f2 engage the under sides of these triggers and tend to move theminto engagement with the hammers, and rollers `l mounted on rthe inner sides of the forked ends of the lever arm f2 are adapted to engage cam faces Z2 on the upper sides of these triggers for forcing the triggers out of engagement with Y their respective hammers when 'the lever arm f2 is moved back from,

its clutch engaging to its clutch releasing position. The clutch releasing movement of the lever armi f2 thus'trips the trigger for the hammer which has been shifted, and permits this hammer to fly back under the action of its spring. In this return movement the hammer strikes the central collar I2 on the rod D and moves this rod a sutiicient distance tovthrow the clutch out of engagement with whichever gear it engages. To limit the return. movements of the hammers and prevent either hammer from shifting the rod far enough to throw the clutch beyond its neutral position into engagement with the o posite gear, stops'M .-are provided on the si e walls e3. e3 of the, support AE which are adaptedV to engage shoulders m 0n the hammers, but `any other suitable means may be employed for thispurpose. The hammers having a limited movement on the shifting rod, the movement of the operating lever in a direction to engage the clutch with either the feed gear or thereverse gear brings the lever arm f2 into engagement with one of these hammers and moves this hammer freely onthe shifting rod so that the hammer will push its companion sto ate to shi t the rod and move the clutch quickly into engagementwith the gear. Also when either ,hammer` is released from its holding trigger by the clutch releasing movement of the operating lever, its spring will cause the hammerto strike a sharp blow on the central stop collar on the Shifting rod so that the shifting rod and clutch will be moved to disengagel the clutch from the gear practically instantaneously. The clutch is, therefore, moved very quickly into and out of engagement with the gear wheels and the parts are thereby relieved from all. unnecessary wear in the clutch shifting operations.

For operating the bell-crank leverto shift the clutch into and out of engagement with the feedand reversegears, the following mechanism is employed: N represents a rock shaft which is mounted in suitable brackets n 'n' at the front of the lathe bed A Ibelow the apron b of the tool carriage B. At its being provided at their free ends with toe l forward end this shaft has an inwardly QX- collar and will therefore opertending arm n2 fixed thereto which is connected by a link n3 with the arm f' of the bell crank lever F.

The apron b of the tool carriage is proengagement of the clutch with its gears vided with depending lugs O which embrace l the shaft N. leavingthe latter free to rock therein. and between these lugs a handle P i is mounted on the rock shaft so that. itis free to move endwise of the shaft with the reciprocating movement of the carriage. but is keyed t0 the shaft to turn therewith. the shaft being provided for this purpose with a longitudinal ke'v wav /i.

Un the rock shaft .\v. at opposite sides ot the hi rs t) are iiionnted cam collars R which are adjustablv clamped thereto bv screws Yl`hese cam collars can be adjusted eiidwise ol' the shaft to aii'v desired position. The v are provided with oppositelv inclined cam t'aces r' r and the lugs O are provided with suitable cam-engaging portions. such as the rollers S S which are adapted to engage these faces. as thetool carriage travels along its walv. and rock the shaft in opposite directions a sutlicieiit distance to operate the i controlling mechanism clutch and thus stopping the movement of the carriage when it is traveling in either direction.

'l`o produce a tine adjustment ot the rollers S S for ohtaiiiiiig an accurate release of thc clutch at a predetermined point. these rollers are preterablv movably mounted in the lugsl t) and are adapted to be adjusted b v screws Yl` provided with heads at the t'roiit ot' the brackets. b v turning which the rollers can be adjusted in or out relative to the cam collars as ina v be necessatv to properlv time the operation ot tlieclntcli. lVliile this tine adjustment ot' the rollers or other caniengaging portions ot' the traveling carriage is desirable. it is not neccssar v to the satis factorv operation otI they machine in ordiiiar v work. as reasonabljv' tine adjustments of the stop liiechanism can be obtained b v adjusting the cani collars on the rock shaft.

t'or releasing thel produced h v the controlling mechanism prevents anv unnecessary wear on the engaging edges of the interlocking clutch and gear teeth. B v setting the cam collars at any desired points on the rock shaft. the carriage in its reciprocating movements can be accuratelv and automatically stopped each time at` the samer point. This materiali)v increases the etlicienc)Y of the lathe.

lVhile the controlling mechanism has been described as applied to lathes. it cati be used to advantage with other machine tools and other machines ha ving traveling parts which are adapted to be similarlv controlled in their movements.

l claim as in v invention:

l. 'l`he combination with a feed member and a driving device therefor. ot' a controlling mechanism for said driving device comprising a shifting member. a hammer which is movable relative to said shifting member and is adapted to engage said shifting member at'ter an initial movement of the hammer t'or moving said shifting member in either direction. an operating device for moving said hammer in one direction. a spring t'or moving the hammer i'n theopposite direction. and a trigger t'or holding the hammer against movement b v the sprintf. which trigger is actuated hv said operating device to release the haiiimei'.sub stantiallv as set 'orth.

2. The combination with a t'eed member and a driving device therefor. of a controlling mechanism t'or said driving device comprising a movable hammer member. an operating device t'oimoving said hammer member in one direction. a spring for movV ing said hammer member in the opposite direction` a trigger controlled b v said operating device for holding said hammer mem bei' against iiio\enieiit b v said Spring. and a member adapted te be struck and moved b v i .said hammer member in either direction tor lVhile the described means for operating i the bellucraiik lever is preterred.'airv other l' suitable nieaiis iiia'v be eiiiploved for operA ating the bell crank lever bv hand and 'for autoinaticallv actuating the rook shaft b v the movement of the tool carriage for releasing the clutch and stopping the carriage at aii v point in its movement in either di rection.

'l`he controlling mechanism operates asil v. tliiicklv and etfectivelv for shifting and releasing the clutch and enables the movement of the tool carriage to be accu ratel v and automaticallv stopped at an v desiied point. llut little pressure between the carriage and the cam collars ot. the rock shaft is required t'or rocking the shaft to operate the controlling mechanism for re leasing the clutch. and the quick release and .shitting .said driving device. siibstantiall v as .set forth.

'l`he combination with a feed member and a driving device therefor. ot' a controlling mechanism for said driving device comprising a movable hammer member. an operatiiig device t'or the hammer member. a niembt r relative to which the hammer ineinbei.l has a limited tree movement and which is adapted to be struck and moved bv said hammer member t'or shitting said driving device. a traveling member operated by the feed member. and meansconnected with said operating device and adapted to he engaged b v said traveling member t'or actuating said device. substantiallv as set t'oith.

l. The combination with a t'eed member and a ,driving device therefor. of a controlling nzechanism t'or said driving device comprising a movable hammer member. a Spring for moving said hammer member in one direction, means for moving the hammer i member to compress the spring, a trigger t for holding the hammer member against f movement. b v the spring and which is movable to release the hammer member, and a member relative to which -the hammer meillber has a hunted free movement and whlch is adapted to be struck and moved b v said and a drivmg device therefor, of a control hammer member for shifting said driving device, substantially as set forth.

5. The colnbination with a feed member and a driving device therefor. of a controlling mechanism for Said driving device comprising independently movable hammer members. an operating device for moving said hammer members in opposite directions. a member relative to which each hammer member has a limited free movement and which is adapted to be struck and moved in one direction by one hammer member and -in the opposite direction by the other hammer member, substantially as set forth.

t3. 'lhe combination with a feed member and a driving device therefor. of a controlling mechanism for said driving device comprising independently movable hammers. springs for moving said hammers in opposite directions. means for moving the hammers to compress said springs, triggers for holding said hammers against movement b v said springs and whlch are movable to release said hammers, and a member relative to which each hammer has a limited free movement and which is adapted t0 be struck and moved in one direction b v one hammer and in the opposite direction b v the other hammer. substantially as set forth.

T. The combination with a feed member and a driving device therefor, of a controlling mcchanism for said driving device comprising independently movable hammers, means for moving said hammers in opposite directions. springs for returning said hammers to their initial positions, triggers for holding said hammers against movement b v said springs and which are movable to release said hammers, and a member relative to which each hammer has a limited free movement in both directions and which is adapted to be struck and moved in either direction bnv either hammer. substantially as set forth.

8. The combination with a feed member and a driving device therefor, of a controlling mechanism -for said driving device comprising independentlyv movable hammers, a member relative to which each hammer has a limited free movement and which is adapted to be struck and moved b v each hammer for shifting the driving device,

" and a drivmg device therefor, of a controlmeans for moving said hammers in opposite directions for actuating said member to` ing relations with the feed member, a spring for moving each hammer for actuating said member to move the driving device out of driving relation with the feed member, and means for holding the hammers against movement b v the springs 'and which are movable to releasethe hammers. substantially as set forth.

5l. The combination 'with a feed member ling mechanism for said driving device comprising independently movable hammers, a member relative to which each hammer has a limited free movement and which is adapted to be struck and moved by each hammer for shifting the driving device, a device for moving said hammersI in opposite directions for actuating said shifting member to move the. driving device into different driving relations with the feed member, a spring for moving each hammer for actuating said shifting member to move the driving device ont of driving relation with the feed member. and triggers for holding said hammers against movement by said springs and which are operated bv the hammer moving device to release said hammers. substantially as set forth.

10. The combination with a feed member and a driving device therefor. of a controlling mechanism for said driving device comprising independentl)v movable hammers, a shifting rod on which each hammer has a limited free movement and which has stop portions which are adapted to be struck b v each hammer for moving said rod to shift the driving device. an actuating device arranged between said hammers for moving said hammers in opposite directions for actuating said rod to shift the driving device into different driving relations with the feed member. springs arranged at the opposite ends of said hammers for moving said hammers for actuating said rod to shift the driving device out of driving relation with the feed member. and means for holding the hammers against movement b v the springs and which are movable to release said hammers, substantially as set forth.

1]. The combination with a feed member and a driving device therefor, of a Controlling mechanism for moving the driving device into and out of driving relation with the feed member, and an operating mechanism therefor comprising a rock shaft provided With rock arms, a traveling member operated by'the feed member and having parts which are adapted to engage said ,arms for rocking the shaft. and screws for adjusting said parts relative to said rock arms, substantially as set forth.

12. The combination with a feed member ling mechanism for said driving device commove the driving device into different drivi prising a movable hammer member, an operating device for the hummer member, and n member relative to which the hammer"y member has a limited free movement and which is adapted to be struck and moved by 5 said hummer member for shifting said driving device. a rock shaft operatively connected with said hammer operating device and provided with rock arms. and a traveling member operated hy the feed member and 'ILLII RUNHE. Witnesses:

EDWARD lV. KIP?. J. C. DAVIS. 

